Chicken and Barley Stew

As a chef I often find myself having a craving for a certain thing for dinner, then looking for a recipe online and coming away wholly unsatisfied with any of the choices.  That is usually when I just kind of go and make up my own thing.  Such was the case the other night when I wanted to make a chicken and barely stew.  The recipes I found online were either too boring or uninteresting. In the end I knew I was going to have to make my own dish especially since I was using a bunch of vegetables that I just happen to have in the refrigerator. So this is what I came up with.

What you will need:

1 lbs uncooked skinless, boneless chicken thigh, diced
1 can mushrooms, sliced
2 each chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups water
1 cup uncooked kale, chopped
1/2 lbs uncooked asparagus, cut into short pieces
1 small onion, diced
2 each cloves of garlic, minced
4 ribs of celery, diced
8 oz baby carrots
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups uncooked barley
1/2 - 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

The asparagus should be bite sized.

MMM, aromatics!

Make sure to rinse your kale.

Your favorite brand will work.

 You will need a pan large enough to hold all your ingredients.  Keep in mind that this recipe will make quite a bit! Start by sauteing your onions, garlic, and celery until they are translucent and you can smell them.  Once they reach this point add your dried herbs and chicken and allow it to brown a bit.

Next add the barley and saute it for a minute, as if you were making a pilaf.

Add the water, bouillon, carrots and mushrooms.

Bring it all up to a boil, then down to a simmer.  Cover your pot and allow the mixture to cook until the barley is tender.  If the barley absorbs too much liquid, just add some more water.

When the barley is almost done, add the kale and asparagus.  These are delicate vegetables and will not take long to cook.  Essentially you want the asparagus to be tender and the kale to wilt down a bit.

Once the kale and asparagus have been incorporated, season the stew to your taste and top with the chopped parsley.  Now just serve and enjoy!